Bringing food or animal products into Jersey

Rules on bringing food into Jersey

There are strict rules for bringing food or animal products into Jersey.

These rules apply for:

products you bring with you when travelling
products you order or receive by post or courier

If you’re coming to Jersey on a connecting flight, you must check the restrictions of the country you brought the food from.

What product you can bring depends on:

where it’s coming from
how much you bring

These rules are in place to protect the Island from the spread of diseases.

Products that don’t meet the restrictions can be seized. You can also be fined or prosecuted.

Some rules are specific to Jersey. Others are shared with the UK and have been taken from bringing food into Great Britain.

Unrestricted products

You can bring the following items to Jersey from any country:

bread, but not sandwiches filled with meat or dairy products
cakes, biscuits, chocolate and confectionery including sweets
food supplements packaged for the final consumer
meat extracts and meat concentrates
olives stuffed with fish
pasta and noodles not mixed or filled with meat product
soup stocks and flavourings packaged for the final consumer
any other food product not containing any fresh or processed meat or dairy and with less than 50% of processed egg or fishery products

Cow’s milk and caviar

You cannot bring liquid cow’s milk or caviar into Jersey from any country, including from:

the UK
other Channel Islands
the Isle of Man

In some circumstances you can bring caviar, but you must apply for a CITES permit.

Meat, dairy, fish and animal products

The rules on bringing meat, dairy, fish and other animal products depend on the country you’re bringing it from.

Except for liquid cow's milk and caviar, there are no restrictions for food coming from:

the UK
other Channel Islands
the Isle of Man

Make sure you dispose of any leftover food or animal products properly so livestock, pigs and other animals cannot eat them.

From the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands and Greenland

You can bring the following for personal use:

fish
poultry and horse meat
other animal products, such as eggs and honey
infant milk
medical foods
food supplements containing less than 20% animal products

You can bring from the EU (except Germany), Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, products from susceptible animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and goats. However they must:

be 2kg maximum per person
have been produced and packaged to EU commercial standards
if it’s an animal by-product, have an identification mark, health mark or commercial labelling

From Germany, you cannot bring any food or animal products from susceptible animals.

This applies to fresh meat and meat products, dairy and dairy products, and animal by-products, such as pet food.

From Greece or Romania, you cannot bring any sheep or goat milk or products, such as cheese or yoghurt.

From Bulgaria and Hungary, you cannot bring any sheep and goat raw milk and raw milk products, such as cheese.

Find the full list of susceptible animals in the declaration of special measures.

Protecting our livestock from foot and mouth disease

Declaration of special measures for Foot and Mouth Disease

Foot and mouth disease import restrictions on GOV.UK

From countries outside the EU and the UK

If you’re bringing food from a country outside the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, the UK, other Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, the following rules apply.

You cannot bring:

meat or meat products
milk or milk-based products, except powdered infant milk, infant food or special food, including pet food, needed for medical reasons

You can bring up to 2kg per person of:

honey
powdered infant milk, infant food, or special food, including pet food, needed for medical reasons. You can only bring it if it does not need to be refrigerated before use, and is in branded, unopened packaging (unless in current use)
shellfish, such as mussels or oysters
snails. These must be preserved or shelled, cooked and prepared
frogs’ legs. These must be the back part of the frog with the skin and internal organs removed
insect meat

You can bring up to 20kg per person in total of fish, including:

fresh fish. It must be gutted
fish products
processed fish. It must be dried, cooked, cured or smoked
lobsters
prawns

Pet food for medical reasons

There are no restrictions for pet food coming from the UK, other Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

You can bring up to 10kg per person of pet food for medical reasons, if it comes from:

Faroe Islands
Greenland
Iceland

You can bring up to 2kg per person from other countries.

You must ensure that the pet food:

be for the pet you’re travelling with
doesn’t need refrigeration before consumption
be commercially packaged and branded for sale
be in an unbroken package, unless it’s in current use

Larger quantities and commercial imports

You can bring larger quantities of food or animal products if they meet the commercial requirements:

certification as laid down in the appropriate official EC veterinary certificate
presentation of the goods, with the correct documentation, to an authorised EU border inspection post for veterinary control, on arrival in the EU

There are no new limits on commercial imports of pork or products as long as it’s:

in the original unopened packaging
clearly health marked
imported by or deliver to a registered food business

Find out more information on importation of POAO from the EU.

Check if you need a CITES permit

You might need to apply for a CITES permit if you bring food or animal products protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Apply for a permit and find out more information on moving or trading CITES-listed species.